Apparatus for splitting heads of animal carcasses



April 8, 1958 J. 1.. CARPENTER ETAL 2,329,398

APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING HEADS OF ANIMAL CARCASSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1955 INVENTORS.

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Jay/v L. Cmepz/vrae Jam: 17. flirzz 5e APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING HEADS OF ANIMAL CARCASSES Filed March 1'7, 1955 April 8, 1958 J.-L. CARPENTER ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II :I

Jaw/v L. Ciepgwrze Jaw: L. H5724 36 INVENTORS.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR SPLITTIN G HEADS OF ANIIVIAL CARCASSES John L. Carpenter, Montebello, and Jack L. Hetzler, Whittier, Calif.

This invention relates to apparatus for dismembering animal carcasses and is specifically directed to a machine for splitting the heads of animal carcasses for the removal of brains and glands therefrom. Such a machine includes a heavy knife blade that is recessed to provide a profile conforming to the general profile configuration of the animal heads to be processed. With an animal head resting on a support member or platen, the blade is brought to bear against the head from above with sufficient pressure to split the skull open, the blade by virtue of its recessed configuration severing the skull without impairing the appearance of the brains exposed by the splitting operation.

A broad object of the invention is to provide an efiicient high-production machine for this purpose that is of relatively simple compact construction and, above all, is inherently safe to operate. One of the more specific objects of the invention is to provide such a machine in which the head-splitting force is of relatively high magnitude to penetrate the bone structure and yet is applied at a restrained rate for smooth operation.

In general these objects are attained by a machine having a fixed downwardly directed recessed blade and a movable work support in the form of a platen actuated by suitable power means. The platen hasa normal retracted position at a level substantially below the level of the fixed blade and reciprocates upward from this normal retracted position to carry ananimal head into elfective pressure contact with the downwardly directed blade for the desired skull-splitting operation.

' An important safety feature of the invention is inherent inthis arrangement whereby the" platen "moves upward against an overhanging stationary blade. It can be readily appreciated that if a person has his hand orfingers resting on-theplaten when the blade starts up 'ardQthe initial movement will provide a tactile warning and usually su'ch warning results in timely withdrawal of the hand or-"fingersby involuntary reflex action. The preferred practiceof the invention, moreover, inherently provides for-regulating the movement of the platen at a desirably restrained rate and the resultant duration of the upward platen travel affords ample opportunity for reflex action to occur. If, however, such a reflex action does not occur or is unduly delayed, the upward movement of the platen may in itself providethel esired safety since it tends to causeany hand or fingers thereon to be dragged away from the knife zone. L

Safe operation is additionally insured by a control arrangement which requires use of both of the operators hands to initiate and complete the upward movement of the platen. A feature of the preferred practice of the invention is that the platen is moved by fluid-pressureactuated power means under the control of main'valves that normally maintain the platen at its retracted low level position and a pair of pilot valves acting in series control the main valves for upward movement of the platen. 'The two pilot'valves "must be manipulated simultaneously to cause upward movement of theplaten and the controls for the two pilot valves are sufliciently spaced apart to require use of both of the operators hands.

Thus the operator cannot cause the platen to move upward unless both of his hands are positioned safely awayfrom the platen. when either hand is removed from the controls.

The various objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, taken with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustrative:

Fig. l is a front perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, as indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view showing the apparatus in section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and additionally showing schematically the arrangement of the control system of the apparatus.

The presently preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings includes a platen 10 movably' The support" mounted on a suitable support structure. structure has a base portion 12, a rearward upright portion 14 extending upward from the base portion and an upper overhanging portion 15 extending forward from the upright portion. The base portion 12 of the upright" structure is in the form of a housing having a forward wall 16 and a top wall 18. The upright portion 14 of the support structure has a forward wall 20 on which suitable guide means may be mounted for cooperation with the platen 10. In this instance the comprises a vertical rib or rail 22. r

A suitable downwardly directed blade 24 is fixedly:

mounted on the under side of the overhanging portion 15 of the base structure. In the construction shown the blade is mounted between a fixed pair of horizontal bars 25 and a pair of similar shorter vertical bars 26 by means of a plurality of cap screws 28, the blade and the various;

bars being suitably apertured to receive the cap screws.

The blade 24 is formed with a downwardly presented recess 30 which conforms in a general way to the con-' figuration in profile of the animal heads that are to be processed. The blade has a bevelled cutting edge 32 which extends completely around the recess'30. contemplated that a number of such blades will be provided for use interchangeably, the blades having recesses 30 of difierent shapes and dimensions for processing different heads. v

Preferably suitable means is provided to brace the blade 24 rigidly in verticalposition. For this purpose a pairof buttress members 34 in the form of tapered metal blocks may be provided for use on each side of the blade. The blade and the two buttress blocks are suitably apertured to receive a suitable cap screw 35 that interconnects the two buttress members through, the blade. The two but tress members are notched or recessed to clear the corresponding-horizontal bars 25 so that the two buttress members lie fiat against the opposite sides of the blade.

The platen 10 is normally at a relatively low retracted position shown in Fig. 1 and shown again in solid lines in Fig. 2. The platen is movable upward to a second limit position for cooperation with the blade 24 as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. Preferably the platen has a suitable central groove 36 on its upper side to clear the blade 24 at the upper limit position of the platen and in addition the platen is formed with a suitable recess ornotch 38 for sliding engagement with the vertical guide rail 22 to keep the platen oriented with the groove 36 aligned with the blade.

In the broader aspects of the invention various arrangements may be employed for actuating and-controlling the Patented Apr. 8,

The platen automatically starts downward presently guide means It is f platen 10., in the present practice of the invention the platen is mounted for this purpose on the upper end of a piston rod 40 that extends downward into a power cylinder 42. Any Suitable fluid may be supplied to the power cylinder, the fluid being compressed air in this instance. Preferably the power cylinder 42 is mounted on the under side of the top wall 18 of the base housing 12 and a second dash-pot cylinder 44 is mounted on the lower end of the power cylinder.

.In the construction shown the power cylinder 42 comprises a cylindrical shell 45 mounted in a well known manner between an upper cylinder head 46 and a lower cylinder head 48, the cylindrical shell being seated in annular recesses in these two heads. Suitable tie rods 50 equipped with nuts 52 extend through the two heads 46 and 48 as Well as through the top wall 13 of the base housing to hold the parts of the power cylinder assembled. Preferably a heavy guide sleeve 54 for the piston rod 46 extends through the upper cylinder head 46 and the top wall 18, the guide sleeve having an inner circumferential groove to seat an O-ring 55.

I As shown in Fig. 3, the upper end of the piston rod 40 may be formed with a cylindrical recess 56 to seat a shank or stem 58 of a flanged body 60, this flanged body being attached to the under side of the platen by suitable cap screws 62. The stem 58 is retained in the cylindrical recess 56 by suitable means such as a pair of set screws 64.

Mounted on the piston rod 40 in a suitable manner, for example by welding, is a suitable piston 65 inside the power cylinder 42. The piston 65 may be formed with a circumferential recess to seat a suitable O-ring 66. A suitable port 68 in the lower cylinder head 48 is provided for the admission of compressed air to force the piston 65 upward and a second port 70 at an upper level in the side of the cylinder admits air to force the piston downward. The guide sleeve 54 serves as a suitable stop to limit the upward movement of the piston 65 at a position below the port 70.

The piston rod 40 also extends into the dash-pot 44 and for this purpose the piston rod may be made in two sections. The lower section of the piston rod comprises a heavy rod 72 that is threaded into the lower end of the piston rod 40 and is retained therein by a suitable set screw 74. The heavy rod 72 may extend through a suitable guide sleeve "75 equipped with an O-ring 76.

The dash-pot cylinder 44 may comprise a suitable cylindrical shell 78 and a lower head plate 80, the head plate being welded to the shell and the shell in turn being welded to the lower end of the power cylinder 42. The dash-pot piston 44 contains a body 82 of a suitable liquid, preferably an oil. The liquid may be introduced into the dash-pot cylinder through a fill passage 84 that is non mally closed by a plug 85. The lower end of the dashpot cylinder has a suitable drainage port that is normally closed by a second plug 86.

A suitable dash-pot piston 88 mounted on the lower end of the heavy rod 72 in any suitable manner. In this instance the heavy rod 72 has a reduced lower end portion 90 forming a circumferential shoulder 92 and the dash-pot piston is mounted on this lower end portion against the shoulder, the dash-pot piston being held in position by a suitable cap screw 94. As may be seen in Fig. 3 the dashpot piston 88 is slightly less in diameter than the inside of the cylindrical shell 78 to provide a circumferential clearance space 95. This circumferential clearance space is dimensioned to serve as a restriction for suitably retarding the flow of the dash-pot liquid from one side of the piston to the otherthereby to retard the movements of the platen 10.

As shown in Fig. 3 compressed airfor actuation of the piston-65 and the platen 10 maybe provided by a supply pipe 96 having one branch 98 leading to theupperpower cylinder port 70Qand a second branch 100 leading tothe lower power.cylinder port 68. The branch pipe 9,8,is

provided with a suitable main two-way valve 102 and the second branch pipe is provided with a second main two-way valve 104. The first two-way valve 102 is normally closed to theatmosphere and open to the supply pipe 96; and the second two-way valve 104 is normally open to the atmosphere and cut off from the supply pipe 96. By virtue of this arrangement of a lower two-way valve normally closed to the source of compressed air and an upper two-way valve normally open to the source, the power piston 48 is normally at its lowermost position shown in Fig. 3 to maintain the platen 10 normally at its lower limit position.

It is contemplated that the two main valves 102 and 104 will be subject to manual control by two separate control means which must be manipulated simultaneously and it is further contemplated that the two control means will be spaced apart sufliciently to require the use of both of the operators hands. Various arrangements may be provided to carry out this concept.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 the control system includes a pair of normally closed pilot valves 105 and.106 having corresponding operating handles 108 and 109. As shown in Fig. l, the two operating handles 103 and 109 may extend through corresponding slots 110 in the front wall 16 of the base housing 12. The control valve 105 is connected to the supply pipe 96 by a small pipe 112 and is connected to the second control valve 106 by a small pipe 114. The second pilot valve 106 is'connected toboth of the main valves 102 and 104 by a small pipe 115. I

Normally, with the two pilot valves 105 and 106 closed, the pipe 115 is at atmospheric pressure by virtue of communication with the atmosphere through the structures of the main valve 102 and 194. Whenever both of the operating handles 1138 and 109 are manipulated to open both of the pilot valves 105 and 106 simultaneously, compressed air is admitted to the pipe 115' at a rate to build up pressure therein and thereby cause.

the two main valves 102 and 104 to operate. The twoway valve 102 cuts off the compressed air source and at the same time exhausts to the atmosphere; the twoway yalve 104 cuts off the atmosphere and at the same time admits compressed air from the source. The main valves 102 and 10 4 and the associated pilot valves are of a well-known type widely available in commerce.

The manner "in which the described apparatus operates to serve its purpose may be readily understood from the foregoing description. After an animal head has been checked and the jaw broken, it is placed face down on the platen. The operator then uses both hands to manipulate the pilot valve handles 108 and 109 simul-' taneously to cause the platen to carry the animal head upward into splitting contact with the blade. When either or both of the pilot valve operating handles are released the platen quickly returns downward to its normal retracted position with the head split open for ready removal of the undamaged brain. -It is apparent that this mode of operation is safesi nce both of the operators hands must be used to cause upward movement of the platen and if either hand is removed from a pilot valve handle while the platen is moving upward, operation of the air cylinder is immediately reversed to cause d ow n w a rd retraction ofthe platen.

The air cylinder with its relatively large cross-sectional area provides adequate power for bone penetration but the dashpot arrangement insures smooth application of the power so that the blade makes a. clean cut of the bone structure-without causing the bone to chip. The apparatus is relatively inexpensive, occupies minimum floorspace and may be readily cleaned simply by flushingallexposed surfaces with water firom a hose.

Installation is a simple matter since it is necessary merely toconnect the machine to a suitable source of compressed air. The use of compressed air as the sole motive force is an important safety consideration since '5 no electrical circuits whatsoever are requiredand the machine may be operated and cleaned without any possibility of electrical shock.

Our description in specific detail of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, by way of example and to illustrate the principles involved, will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from our disclosure that properly lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination of: a fixed support structure; a downwardly directed fixed blade mounted on said structure; a platen movably mounted on said support structure for upward reciprocation from a normal retracted position at a level spaced downward from the fixed blade whereby a portion of an animal carcass may be placed on the retracted platen and carried upward thereby into splitting engagement with said blade; an upright air cylinder fixed'to' said support structure, said cylinder being below said platen having a piston in said air cylinder therein; a piston rod connecting said piston with said platen for reciprocation thereof; a dash-pot connected to said piston rod to retard the movement of said platen; means including a first two-way valve normally cut off from the atmosphere and open to a source of com pressed air for connectingthe upper end of said cylinder to said source; means including a second two-way valve for connecting the lower end of said cylinder with said source, said second valve being normally open to the atmosphere and closed to said source; and two manual controls connected to said two valves to switch them from their normal position thereby to cause upward movement of said platen, said two controls being manually operable at separate points spaced apart to require use of both of the operators hands and requiring simultaneous manipulation to cause upward movement of the platen from its normal retracted position.

2. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination of: a fixed support structure; a downwardly directed fixed blade mounted on said structure; a platen movably mounted on said support structure for upward reciprocation from a normal retracted position at a level spaced downwardly from the fixed blade whereby a portion of an animal carcass may be placed on the retracted platen and carried upward thereby into cutting engagement with said blade; an upright power cylinder below said platen and fixed to said support structure; a dash-pot cylinder adjoining one end of said power cylinder; a piston rod connected to the under side of said platen and extending into both of said cylinders; a power piston on said piston rod in said power cyl-v inder; a dash-pot piston on said piston rod in said dashpot cylinder; means including a first main valve for placing the upper end of said power cylinder in communication with a source of fluid under pressure; means including a second main valve for placing the lower end of said power cylinder in communication with said source; said first valve being normally open and said second valve being normally closed for normally maintaining said platen at its lower retracted position; and two pilot valves connected in series with said source and operatively connected to said two main valves for closing the first main valve and opening the second main valve, said two pilot valves being manually operable at separate points spaced apart to require use of both of the operators hands.

3. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination of: a fixed support structure; a downwardly directed blade member; a platen member positioned below said blade member, one of said members being fixed on said support structure, the other of said members being movably mounted on the support structure for reciprocation relative to said fixed member whereby a portion of an animal carcass may be placed on the platen member xand forced into cutting engagement with said "blade member by reciprocation of said movable member; a power cylinder on said support structure; a

dash-pot cylinder adjoining one end of said power cylincluding a first main valve for placing one end of said.

power cylinder in communication with a source of compressed air; means including a second main valve for placing the other end of said power cylinder in communication with said source, said first valve being normally open and said second valve being normally closed, whereby 'said movable member is normally at its retracted position; and two pilot valves connected in series with saidsource and operatively connected to said two main valves for closing the first main valve and opening the second main valve, said two pilot valves being manually operable at separate points spaced apart to require use of both of the operators hands.

4. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination of: a support structure having an upright portion and an overhanging portion extending forwardly therefrom; a downwardly directed blade fixedly mounted on said overhanging portion of the structure; upright guide means positioned forwardly on said upright portion of the structure; a platen movably mounted on said support structure for upward reciprocation from a normal .retracted position at a level spaced downward from said blade whereby a portion of an animal carcass may be placed on the retracted platen and carried upward thereby into splitting engagement with said blade, said platen having a groove to receive the edge of said blade at the upper limit position of the platen, said platen engaging said guide means to insure alignment of said groove with the blade; power means fixed to'said support structure and connected to said platen for reciprocation thereof; and control means for said power means including two manual control members spaced apart to require use of both of the operators hands to cause upward movement of said platen.

5. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination comprising: a fixed support structure; a downwardly directed blade member; a platen member positioned below said blade member to carry an animal carcass, one of said members being fixed to said supportv two manual control members connected to said power means and biased to supply power to said power means in such a manner as to move said movable member away from said fixed member when both of said manual control members are not manually operated, said control members being adapted to supply power to said power means to move said movable member towards said fixed member onlywhen both of said control members are operated, whereby a human operator is prevented from inserting either of his hands into the space between said blade and platen members during any time that said movable member is moving toward said fixed member.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5, wherein said two control members are spaced apart a distance sufiicient to require the use of both of the operators hands to cause said movable member to move towards said fixed member.

7. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination comprising: a fixed support structure; a downwardly directed blade member; a platen member positioned below said blade member to carry an animal carcass, one of said members being fixed to said support structure, the other of said members being movable on said support structure toward and away from saidfixed I member; a power cylinder fixed to said s'uppor't str'um ture; a piston in said power cylinder having a rod connected to said movable member to move said movable member toward and away from s aid fix'ed member; means including a first two-way valve for selectively putting one end of said cylinder in communication with a first exhaust passage and a source of fluid under pressure; means including a second two-way valve for selectively putting the other end of said cylinder in communication with a second exhaust passage and said'sour'c'e; and two pilot valves biased to keep said first valve normally open only to said source and, at the same time, to keep said second valve normally open only to said second exhaust passage for normally maintaining said movable member in its retracted position when both of said pilot valves are not operated, said two pilot valves, when operated, being adapted to close said first valve and open said second valve to cause movement of said movable member towards said fixed member only' whenboth of saidpilot valves are operated, said two pilot valves being'manually operable at separate points spaced apart to require use of both hands of an operator.

8. In an apparatus for processing animal carcasses, the combination comprising: a fixed support structure; a downwardly directed blade member; a platen member positioned below said blade member to carry an animal positions immediately contiguous to or spaced a substantial distance from said fixed member in its retracted position, said second means including two manual control members biased to supply power to said first means in such a manner as to move said movable memberaway from said fixed member when both of said manual control members'are not manually operated, said control members being adapted to supply power to said first means to move said movable member towards said fixed member only when both of said control members are operated, whereby a human operator is prevented from inserting either of his hands into the space between said blade and platen members during any time that said movable member is moving toward said fixed member.

9. In an apparatus forprocessing animal carcasses,

the combination comprising: a fixed support structure;

a downwardly directed blade member; a platen member positioned below said bladernember to carry an animal carcass, one of said members being fixed to said support structure, the other of said members being movable toward and away from said fixed member; a cylinder fixed to said support structure; a piston in said cylinder having a rod connected to'said movable member for reciprocation thereof; and a dash-pot operatively connected with said movable member to retard its rate of movement.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9, wherein means are additionally provided to introduce air selectively into the opposite ends of said cylinder to reciprocate said piston.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

